Super Bowl? The New Orleans Saints, that’s who.
Ain’t kidding.
Put away those paper bags forever:
Drew Brees and the Saints are NFL champions, rallying to beat Peyton
Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night in one of pro
football’s most thrilling title games.
Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32
completions, the last a 2-yard slant to Jeremy Shockey for the winning
points with 5:42 remaining. The Pro Bowl quarterback was chosen Super
Bowl MVP.
New Orleans’ lowly ranked defense made
several key stops, an onside kick sparked their second-half comeback,
and Tracy Porter‘s 74-yard interception return on a pass from Manning,
of all people, clinched it.
Manning gave chase, but fell awkwardly
as the cornerback zipped by. The four-time NFL MVP forlornly walked to
the sideline as the Big Easy celebrations began. Who would have thought
the biggest mistake of the game would have come from Manning?
An NFL embarrassment for much of their
43 years, the Saints’ football renaissance, led by Brees and coach Sean
Payton, climaxed with Shockey’s touchdown and Lance Moore‘s 2-point
conversion catch — which Payton challenged and won after Moore was ruled
down at the 1.
Porter’s pick, just as dramatic as his
interception of Brett Favre‘s pass at the end of the NFC title game
that forced overtime, was the game’s only turnover. It’s one Manning
will forever regret.